The rescue

Thankful for friends that drop off nectar to spice up my boring dinner. #100daysofsummer #2015yip #theyearthatis2015 #225/365

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 13, 2015 at 8:59pm PDT

Sometimes you have to thank the friend  who shows up on your doorstep bearing directly from the oven-  roasted tomatoes, some of which he picked from your garden. It makes your dinner of toast with feta cheese much better and for this I am grateful.

Recipe can be found here. 

This recipe with a bit of florence fennel thrown in for good measure was a staple of my time in Rome. It was a great way to get rid of bits and bobs and was great on bread or pasta. I can't wait to toss this bunch with pasta for dinner tomorrow.

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 10, 2015 at 5:07pm PDT

And this on quarter of the tomatoes we've harvested. If tomorrow's forecast hold true - I'll be able to make sauce and not die of heat stroke.

On Mentorship

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Apr 30, 2015 at 2:43pm PDT

Last week we flew to the Bay Area to see a friend and mentor give his last lecture to his students before retiring.   It seems that we spend more time attending memorials than retirements and weddings these days, so it made us happy to be present and catch up with dear friends for a happy occasion. 

Paul Groth is a professor of geography and architecture at UC Berkeley, he was also TH's father's student. Over the years, Paul took a genuine interest in our lives and scholarship. When TH was contemplating returning to grad school to get her PhD., he reviewed her statement of purpose and provided excellent editorial advice.  As she worked towards finishing her degree, he provided needed encouragement, advice and when it was time, Paul helped hood her.

When I was in grad school (again), Paul helped narrow down my broad desire to write about the connection between health and landscape history to a topic that was well-defined but not well studied. The thesis ended up being a lot of fun to research and write.   

Prior to this trip, TH and I talked a lot mentors and influencers in our lives.  Does that person have to be called out as a mentor? Does that person have to be someone who gains from your accomplishments?  Should they? Does that person have to be someone you shadow or check in with on a regular basis? Does that person have to be within your discipline?  How much do you need to give back as a mentee?

When I went back to school for the second round, I felt more grounded in my scholarship and felt like the professors that took a genuine interest in me acted as mentors.  From them, I learned to research, analyze and write about topics of gender, landscape and built environment in a way that made me feel proud of my work and felt like they were also happy with my results.  I still hear them in my head when I write or look at a building or urban plaza.  I remember to think of the context and events that impacted the design or placement of buildings.   Now I think of software and app design in the same way, so what I learned is bigger than a building footprint. 

What makes a good mentor? Have you mentored someone? 

Sunday Musings - on Travel

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Nov 10, 2014 at 8:38am PST

My friend Joan just posted to Facebook a great article from the NY Times on what makes a good travel companion - you can read it here.

I met Joan by posting on Flyertalk in 2000 (remember that far back?). I had posted that we were visiting Paris for a day and would like to meet up with anyone who wished to go exploring with us. Joan took a morning train from Brussels and we spent a delightful day wandering, eating and marketing.  From that trip a million miles ago, we've traveled to Paris again, London, Japan as well as the US. We talk about doing some more traveling soon. What made our trips work is that we have many of the same interests (quirky museums, eating, markets and fine hotel lounges), we have similar schedules and stamina for long days of walking and know when to give each other space.  We're also pretty good planners and communicators and this helps tremendously.  Joan is also the only person in the world who could get me to eat sweetbreads and I sort of liked them.

The past July, I took another short break with my friend Elaine to Paris. We had seen each other off and on over the years when she lived in London, but had never traveled together.  Again, we had a great trip because we had the same interests (sight seeing, shopping and eating), similar levels of energy and stamina and were mature enough to enjoy our own company.  I would repeat the trip again in a heartbeat.

Trips together don't require flying on the same flights or the same day, but they require some discussion prior to leaving to figure out logistics such as reservations at hard to get into restaurants and booking that burro ride down to the bottom of the gorge in 100 degree heat.  They also require a little flexibility, which can get harder as we get less flexible in our bodies and minds.

Where to go next?